Sheriffs are useless anyway. Massachusetts is not like Arizona where a sheriff can get national political attention. County government is basically gone. City and state police have all the law enforcement duties. Sheriffs run jails, which are not even a great source of patronage, and have their deputies serve process, which is a money maker but not a get rich and retire scheme.

Xythero:What's so different now? I've lived in MA for 30 years, and it really hasn't changed a whole lot.

No shiat... With the exception of five years in Dublin, I've lived my entire life here in Massachusetts. Been all over the world and just about every state in the union, and I wouldn't live anywhere else but Massachusetts these days. Not particularly a fan of Patrick, but he's doing a better job than Mitt Romney, at any rate.

Been in MA for 17 years after moving from upstate NY. After reading Fark for a while, my wife has a rather extensive list of states we're never moving to. I think we're limited to New England plus New York at this point and I'm happy to put up with Deval if it means we never get another Mitt Romney.

keylock71:Xythero: What's so different now? I've lived in MA for 30 years, and it really hasn't changed a whole lot.

No shiat... With the exception of five years in Dublin, I've lived my entire life here in Massachusetts. Been all over the world and just about every state in the union, and I wouldn't live anywhere else but Massachusetts these days. Not particularly a fan of Patrick, but he's doing a better job than Mitt Romney, at any rate.

Sheriffs in MA are responsible for two things: jack and shiat. And jack's in solitary. The county sheriff doesn't have any law enforcement experience because the job has nothing to do with law enforcement.

The position is an inertial holdover from the 17th century. Suffolk County doesn't even exist as a government body anymore.